Byron Copeland, the executive pastor at Cross Timbers Church in North Texas, has resigned less than a month after lead pastor Josiah Anthony stepped down amid allegations of inappropriate behavior that was sexual in nature.
Copeland was appointed as the interim lead pastor in late July following Anthony’s resignation. He served as the executive pastor at Cross Timbers beginning in November 2023 after serving over 19 years as the executive pastor at Gateway Church in Southlake, which has faced its own leadership crisis after sexual abuse allegations against founding pastor Robert Morris led to his resignation earlier this year.
In a letter to the Cross Timbers community this week, Copeland offered his resignation to pursue a “fresh season of life.”
“I have felt the heavy weight of our recent hurt at Cross Timbers Church. But, I am thankful that this is a place of healing and hope,” Copeland said in the message.
“Though this period has been exceptionally challenging, walking through this with the staff has enriched my life,” Copeland added. “I have met so many incredible people who have inspired my faith.
But I sense that God is calling me to a fresh season of life. So, it is with a thankful heart that I have decided to resign from my position.” The church’s founding pastor, Toby Slough, has been called back as interim lead pastor.
“Especially with Toby Slough’s willingness to return to steady the ship, I am as confident and optimistic about the future of this church as I’ve ever been,” Copeland wrote in his message to the congregation.
“As I transition, I am very confident for you as a congregation. I continue to be impressed by the character and sincerity of the Cross Timbers Elders and Staff. You are in great hands, and I believe your best days are ahead. We wish nothing but goodness and blessings for Cross Timbers Church.”
After the church announced Anthony’s resignation in July, it was later revealed that he sent “inappropriate comments made in text messages and through social media that were sexual in nature.”
The church previously announced he engaged in “inappropriate and hurtful” actions that weren’t sexual but clarified that Anthony was not “forthcoming or transparent” and engaged in a pattern of inappropriate communications with women.
Anthony has been a part of the ministry since 2011 and served in various capacities at Cross Timbers, including as a student minister and campus pastor.
The church initially became aware of the issues just before Anthony went on his annual sabbatical when elders received a report of inappropriate communication with a female former church member.
